Police: Snapchat message sparked stabbing, leaving teen dead

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A 16-year-old fatally stabbed a fellow student because he was upset about a Snapchat message sent to his girlfriend, according to police.

Matthew Joseph Fischer, 16, of Mount Pleasant was visiting his girlfriend's home in an upscale subdivision in the bedroom community just outside Charleston on Sunday when he saw a message from Lucas Cavanaugh, 17, on her iPod, detectives said. The message was sent through Snapchat, a photo-and-text app on which messages are visible for only a brief time.

The message angered Fischer, according to an arrest affidavit. Officials have not released details about the content of the message.

"The defendant took the iPod and contacted the victim. Words were exchanged at which point the defendant told the victim 'Come over 'and 'I'll kill you man,'" the affidavit said.

Cavanaugh, of nearby Sullivans Islands, came to the girl's house, and the two fought, authorities said.

"During the altercation, the defendant produced a knife from his right pant pocket and proceeded to stab the victim in the torso, resulting in death," the affidavit said.

An incident report released by police Tuesday describes how an officer responding to the scene found Cavanaugh lying in the middle of the street with a stomach wound and two women sitting near him.

One of the women brought the officer a knife and identified it as the weapon, according to the report. The woman said a youth had come to her house with a bloody knife shortly after the incident, dropped the knife and run off.

Fischer was later arrested at the scene while sitting in his mother's car, authorities said.

Fischer is charged as an adult with murder and possession of a knife during. He was denied bond Monday.

He and Cavanaugh attended Wando High School.

"This is just a tragedy for the entire Wando community and the families involved," Fischer's attorney, Peter David Brown, said at the bond hearing, The Post and Courier reported (bit.ly/14XILWk).